You could say that our reading from Isaiah was picked especially for this 3rd week of Advent. Our candle is named “joy” today, and the reading begins with “…the desert and parched land will exult and the steppe will rejoice and bloom; they will rejoice with joyful song.” At the end of the reading, the Lord rescues captives from Babylon. They return home “singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they meet with joy and gladness, and sorrow will flee.” Release from years of captivity is like being “crowned with everlasting joy”. What vivid images!

Or perhaps our candle is picked for the readings today? In the center of our first reading we find, not the word “joy”, but more importantly, the source of joy. Reading about the opening of blind eyes, clearing the ears of the deaf, the mute singing, we remember that this was written in a time when little could be done to relieve suffering. Can you image what these words meant to people? Even now, strokes and brain injuries remind us of how precious sight and speech are.

What is Isaiah’s point? That these gifts come from God, gifts of love and compassion. The ability to see or hear or jump or sing does not come in a box from Amazon Prime. Isaiah uses our physical ills as symbols of our spiritual failures. When we read scripture only on a literal level, we miss half the message! God is kind and eternally faithful to his creation and us, his creatures, and saves us, who are by no measure worthy. Isaiah spells it out: “God comes to ransom and redeem you. You were captives because your eyes were closed to love, your ears were shut to God’s Word, and you became lame when you refused to walk with God. God comes to restore you to spiritual health.” Every good thing is a gift from God, and we should find our joy in God’s love.

So all of that is kind of like the “Theory of Advent”. Now let’s wander over to the Gospel of Matthew and wade into the muddy side of life to see the “Reality of Advent.”

John the Baptist was in prison for telling Herod that he shouldn’t have taken his brother’s wife and married her. John was likely very frightened. John had obeyed God and preached repentance and baptized people. But prison wasn’t in his plan. John was impatient, for Herod’s new wife was already plotting his death. The Messiah was supposed to be a warrior king like David, not like Jesus who has no army, no military strength. The Messiah was supposed to bring fiery judgment and condemn sinners and the wicked were supposed to pfft, perish. The Kingdom of Heaven should have been there already, and the Romans should’ve been toast by now. John’s anxiety made him wonder, was he wrong? Was Jesus “The One Who is to Come”?

The thing is, if you read chapters 7, 8, and 9 of Matthew, just prior to this scene, you find the answer to John’s question. Compare to Isaiah’s list; check them off. The woman with the hemorrhage was healed, the Centurion’s servant was healed, and Peter’s mother-in-law was healed. Yes, the blind man was given his sight, and the paralytic rolled up his mat and walked away. The lepers were cleansed; the man who could not speak now was talking.

Jesus raised the little girl from the dead. And the poor have heard the Good News and were taught about prayer, discipleship, and having God as their foundation. And that is only a literal interpretation of these chapters. People were given the “eyes” of understanding, ears to “hear” the truth in their hearts, the “voice” to proclaim the goodness of God by their deeds, and so on. The point, of course, is that all that Jesus has done for the people, in broad day light, right in front of everyone, is exactly what the prophets said the Messiah ( the Christ) would do. Matthew is very clear about who Jesus is.

So, if Jesus does not meet our expectations, do we not believe in Jesus as the Son of God? Do we decide what we want, or determine what we need, and then deny Jesus if we don’t get things when and how we think we should?

Just as when Thomas doubted Jesus had risen from the dead, Jesus has no words of recrimination for John, but commends John on who he is and what he has done. Even the people recognized him as a great prophet. John fulfilled the prophecy of Malachi; he was the messenger send ahead of the Messiah to prepare the way. In fact, Jesus says John was the greatest among men. But no army would John save from prison. Those who enter the Kingdom of Heaven can see what John was blind to in that moment. Did we skip that verse from our Isaiah passage that reads, “Say to those whose hearts are frightened, ‘Be strong, fear not’!” Does it make sense that real, justifiable fear can be replaced by peace? Don’t we quote Jesus as part of every Mass, “Peace I leave you, my peace I give to you”? We don’t call it the peace that passes understanding for nothing! But that peace is even more real than our fear. For teaching purposes we separate “love”, “peace”, and “joy”. But really, I think they are more one thing- “lovepeacejoy”.

Some people turn from the faith, they say that God has forgotten them, that the promises were not kept because they suffered losses or illness or met other tragedies in life. Do not take offense at me, Jesus says. There is nothing bad or misleading in the Son of God. Do not reject God’s obvious truth, he warns us. Jesus proclaimed the power and goodness and compassion of God and acted it out in front of everyone. Do not stumble from grace and blame God for the pains of this life.

We can live through health issues and spiritual doubts, and fears for the future, with peace-filled joy in our hearts, for we can see and hear and share the certainty of God’s love and faithfulness. With joy, then, we can celebrate the coming of the Holy Infant, and the 2nd coming of the One We Know Who Is to Come.

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Sat, 10 Dec 2016 00:48:56 +0000Kylehttps://kylejohnstonblog.wordpress.com/2016/12/10/o-come-o-come-emmanuel/I was listening to Christmas music the other day, when I hear the song ‘O come O come, Emmanuel’. Now, this was not the first time that I have hear this song. But I heard it in a new way.

If you’ve read some of my blog posts, you might have read about how I have been feeling like I’m in a exilic place spiritually. I write about it so much because it is so prevalent in my mind. I am constantly talking to God about how I want to be out of this place, and there for I am always journaling about it.

But as I was listening to ‘O come O come’ I hear the lyrics in a new way…

The song is written from the perspective that of someone who is living in exile who is looking forward to the hope that will be brought to them through the birth of the Christ.

Before the birth of Jesus, the people of Israel were in exile for 70 (or 92, depending on what you’re reading) years.

The had been ripped from their homes, and were living in a foreign land. They felt like God had abandoned them and forgotten them.

This song is clinging to the hope that God had not forgotten them and the hope that a God was sending them a savior.

Maybe in this advent season, you have felt like you are in exile, or rock bottom, or wandering around aimlessly looking for God.

Isaiah, a prophet to the people in exile, wrote this in the midst of being exiled.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on Davidʼs throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

The passage from Isaiah contains a well known verse, namely 7.14. In the translation of 1611 known as the Authorised Version/King James Version it reads: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The New Revised Standard Version (the one used below) is significantly different: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” The Hebrew word עַלְמָהalmah is translated as “young woman” in the NRSV and other more recent versions, whereas the AV/KJV translates it as “virgin”. What’s going on?

The reason the AV/KJV and other translations translate it as “virgin” goes back to Septuagint, a Jewish Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures done 150 years before Jesus. It translated the Hebrew word as παρθένος parthenos, which does indeed mean “virgin” (“The Parthenon”, the temple of Athena in Athens, was called that because the goddess was a virgin).

The passage was definitely read as “virgin” by the first Christians. Both of the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke, while very different in many respects, agree that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin and gave birth miraculously. Luke alludes to Isaiah 7.14, but Matthew explicitly quotes the Septuagint version of Matthew 7.14, and adds an explanation of the name Immanuel: “”Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, ‘God is with us.” The Matthean reading of Isaiah controlled future translations of the passage in Isaiah, including the Latin Vulgate and the AV/KJV. More recent translations have acknowledged that the ordinary meaning of the word is “young woman” – she might be a virgin, but the term does not imply virginity.

It is an open question, though, whether the passage was being read messianically before the time of Jesus. After all, the translators of the Septuagint did not have to use the term for “virgin” but could have simply used “young woman”. In Greco-Roman culture to be born of a virgin was not considered unthinkable. Any numbers of mythic heroes were supposedly born of virgins, and there were rumors that some of the Emperors also had miraculous births, indicating their divine origins. Might it be possible that some Jews began to believe that their anointed one might also have such a striking birth?

However it was being read in the time of Jesus, the passage is not about the birth of Jesus, at least not in its original context. Continuing from yesterday we have the prophet Isaiah prophesying to Ahaz about contemporary politics. The king of Syria and the king of the northern Hebrew Kingdom of Israel (which broke away from the united kingdom of David and Solomon after Solomon’s death_ were threatening to join forces and attack the southern Hebrew Kingdom of Judea. Ahaz was King of Judea, and was understandably concerned. But Isaiah tells him (and I paraphrase), “Look, see that young woman over there [possibly the prophet’s wife] – she’s going to conceive and have a child, and he’ll be named “God with us”. And before he’s four or five year old the two kingdoms of Syria and Israel will be overthrown by Assyria.” Which, by the way, is what happened. Assyria, in what is now northern Iraq, conquered first Syria and then neighbouring Israel. The ten tribes of Israel that made up the northern kingdom were exiled into other parts of the Assyria Empire, and disappeared from the pages of history. The few people left behind – the poor and the peasants – became the ancestors of what, after much many centuries of evolution, became the Samaritans (whose descendants live to this day in what is now the northern part of the modern State of Israel). .

So what can we say about this? Well, prophecy has a tendency to be recycled; after a prophecy has been fulfilled it may yet be used in new circumstances. To our modern way of thinking this is illegitimate – what did the author intend, and what would the original hearers have understood? Yet a post-modern perspective, with “The Death of the Author” might not find this quite so strange; the late 20th century and early 21st century may have more in common with the 1st century than we think.

The Christian faith does not stand or fall on the virgin birth. The gospels of Mark and John make no mention of it, and neither does Paul. I believe, with Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, that our faith does stand or fall with the Resurrection. With John I believe that in Jesus the Word was made flesh. So already I believe in a couple of miracles, things that make no sense in modern terms. After accepting these I personally don’t have a problem believing in the virgin birth, but I don’t get too upset with people who object. The virgin birth is an indicator of who Jesus is, and we can get to him in other ways. That said, I do wonder about how it was done in terms of modern genetics – where did Jesus get his DNA and that Y chromosome? I suppose that might be the working of the Holy Spirit, eh?

Isaiah 7.10–25Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted. The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on your ancestral house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.’

On that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the sources of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thorn bushes, and on all the pastures.

On that day the Lord will shave with a razor hired beyond the River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will take off the beard as well.

On that day one will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, and will eat curds because of the abundance of milk that they give; for everyone that is left in the land shall eat curds and honey.

On that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns. With bow and arrows one will go there, for all the land will be briers and thorns; and as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not go there for fear of briers and thorns; but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.

2 Thessalonians 2.13—3.5But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you, and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will go on doing the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

Luke 22.14–30When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!’ Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.

A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. But he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

‘You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Advent is a season of waiting, hope, peace and expectations. This Sunday you will be listening to a song called “Emmanuel – Hallowed Manger Ground” during our offering. It is a song of hope, praise and rejoicing as we look at Emmanuel from an Old Testament and a New Testament mindset – an excellent song for Advent. Following is a commentary on each verse.

Emmanuel, Hallowed Manger Ground by Chris Tomlin and Jason Ingram

What hope we hold this starlit night

A King is born in Bethlehem

Our journey long, we seek the light

That leads to the hallowed manger ground

In this first verse we get into the minds of the wise men, full of hope and expectations as they acknowledge, as if from divine inspiration, the knowledge that a King was just born in Bethlehem. Their journey is long but they have a guiding light that will lead them to the holy land.

What fear we felt in the silent age

Four-hundred years, can He be found?

But broken by a baby’s cry

Rejoice in the hallowed manger ground

In the second verse we find ourselves in the minds of the Old Testament people, wondering where God is, as He has been silent for 400 years. God’s people must have been wondering about this promised messiah. Most notably, when would he be born as the timing of Jesus’ birth was not revealed, just a promise that He would enter our world one day. Finally, when the baby cried, and the shepherds and angels appeared on the scene, they knew, and they rejoiced in the birth of their savior and king, born on a hallowed manger ground.

Emmanuel, Emmanuel

God incarnate, here to dwell

Emmanuel, Emmanuel

Praise His name Emmanuel

The chorus repeats the name “Emmanuel” five times because it means “God with us” (God incarnate). What a concept and certainly a reason to rejoice. Praise His name – Emmanuel.

The son of God, here born to bleed

A crown of thorns would pierce His brow

And we beheld this offering

Exalted now the King of kings

Praise God for the hallowed manger ground

In verse three, we move to the mindset of the people who were contemporaries of Jesus. We now know the reason for God’s son, Emmanuel, to be among us. He was born for sacrifice, He was born to bleed. But rest assured, He conquers death and is exalted still as our King of Kings.

As you listen to this song during the collection of offerings, reflect on Emmanuel, God with us – right here, to dwell. The birth of Jesus shattered barriers, God dwelled among us and still does to this day. He is present right now and is being honored by the praises and the offerings of His people. To close our service on Sunday we will be singing a favorite Advent hymn - ”Oh Come, Oh come, Emmanuel.” Yes, we still proclaim, “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel” with the hope and expectation of His second coming.

My mother is here visiting, and Beauty is a word I strongly associate with Mum. She is incredibly creative, and has made so many beautiful things for me over the years, mostly knitted or crocheted, but also sewn – and yesterday, we found some really beautiful fabric which apparently she’s going to turn into something beautiful for my Christmas present:-)

Beauty is also a word that is synonymous with nature for me; the reflections on the slow flowing river as I walk into town, crushing beneath my feet leaves of every hue. Sometimes that kind of alive, raw, simple, untainted beauty brings tears to my eyes and takes my breath away quite literally. It opens me, softens me, unintentionally reflects back at me the generosity and sacredness of a world that refuses to stop producing intricate, delicate, vibrantly coloured flowers no matter how ugly some human behavior has become. That beauty loves being acknowledged and seen, and it brushes us with its sheen when we do:-)

And so, to the tenth stocking…but where…?

Well spotted ;) So, let’s have a peek…

FAMILY: “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you,

as you are to them.”

– Desmond Tutu

Now take a moment to pause and reflect upon how Family has shown up in your life recently. Is this a particularly family focused time of year for you? Any new/recent additions, or are there friends you consider ‘honorary family’? Any particular traditions or rituals that happen in your family during this season?

Ten stockings turned! :) Hope to see you tomorrow for number 11.

Do continue to share your thoughts and reflections in the comments section below as you wish…

We bid goodbye to John Masefield this Advent, remembering that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light (Isaiah 9.2). And that’s us! Every star is a great light, even if we see no more than a pinprick, since we are far off. And when we look closely at this world, how many stars shine in people’s smiles, in a robin’s eye, a drop of rain? Laudato si’.

By mercy and by martyrdom,

And many ways, God leads us home;

And many darknesses there are.

By darkness and by light he leads,

He gives according to our needs,

And in his darkness is a star. (pp46-47)

Let us pray that we may be instruments of mercy; may be stars in other people’s dark times, and that God’s merciful grace will lead us all home. May we follow his star and seeing the star rejoice with exceeding great joy. (Matthew 2:10)

WT.

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Sat, 10 Dec 2016 00:00:52 +0000thecswoolleyhttps://mightierthanthesworduk.com/2016/12/10/10th-day-of-advent/It’s just over two weeks until Christmas now, and the advent calendar continues merrily on. Today we are back in the realm of Celadmore with the 2nd diary entry from Caslo Morgan.

2650GL 11th Sprengan

I was brought before the Elders this morning. They started by presenting me with all my faults and short comings that they had noted during my training. Three hours later the Eight were brought in. Shammah was still clearly taking the loss of his brother to heart, but his grief did nothing to diminish his stature as a warrior. His entrance into the council hall was enough to impress even Queen Annalia herself; silence enveloped the room as he stepped into it. Not a soul dared to breathe as he passed by, the effect of having a living legend before those that have only heard of the war is something that I cannot even begin to describe.

Mordecai, one of the Elders, told me that the final part of my training was to ride as part of the Eight, that when the time came for my task to begin I would be called for. That riding as one of the Eight is my final test made me worried, for the first time since I arrived on the homeland, as to what my task actually would be. Not even the gossips that seem to know of every move that every soldier on the mainland makes know what it is I am being trained for.

Shammah did not look impressed that I was to join his company. It is hard to describe the look of disgust that filled his face when I was presented to him as a new member of the Eight. Before now, the Elders have not been the ones to choose who rides as one of the Eight. It has always been the leader who has suggested warriors to the royal line and vice versa, the members being chosen by the consensus. The Elders have been scrambling for years to have more power, to even place themselves as equals to the royal line. Fortunately King Marlo is too strong a man to allow them to take too much and Queen Annalia could disband them upon a whim if she desired, but still the idea that they are slowly chipping away at the structure of our government makes them no better than Valians in my opinion.

I have not been introduced to the other members of the Eight. Eleazar and Tulsana will not be riding with the Eight any longer either. Tulsana died this morning and went to join Elika and Elhanan in Halsanda. By Arala’s will, Eleazar lives and is growing stronger, but it will be many months before he is fit to fight again.

I am to travel with Shammah, Maharai, Helez and Jashobeam to Castle Anamoore to meet with Queen Annalia to discuss who will be replacing those that have fallen. The gossips have reported that Lady Morrigan and all the young princesses of the Order will also be there.

With the amount of supposedly secret and confidential information that is being openly discussed on the streets of Queteria, I wonder at how inept the spies of the other nations of Celadmore really are when they know nothing of our activities.

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Shroud of Darkness Trilogy

A fantasy book trilogy that was 16 years in the making. The trilogy follows Venetia, a queen amongst her people in the fantasy realm of Celadmore. Strange occurrences in her home world have Venetia searching for answers as to whether an old evil has returned or if a new threat has arisen. Joined by a number of unlikely allies, who do not all get along with one another, Venetia has to fight against not only the darkness threatening to destroy her home world but the treachery of politicians, the fear in those around her, assassins that want to take her throne from her and those that would go to any lengths to try and prevent another war.

The Shroud of Darkness Trilogy contains the three volumes of the Shroud of Darkness trilogy in the Chronicles of Celadmore – Shroud of Darkness, Lady of Fire and End of Days

In the realm of Celadmore, evil is stirring. The war torn land has not recovered from the last conflict as evil rises and threatens to ensnare the world of light. Venetia, favourite daughter of Queen Annalia, must fight enemies and allies alike. She must uncover truth amidst deception to discover the source of this new threat to her world before the darkness engulfs it.

United they must stand for destruction is upon them. The realm of Celadmore faces it’s destruction as a war that none perceived is brought against them. Venetia, Queen of the Order of Anagura and Queteria, must forge a new alliance between the nations of Celadmore against the evil that Aksoth, Lord of Nether Roth, is set to unleash. The Allied Spirit of Celadmore must be raised and march once more.

The end is here. Aksoth’s forces roam unchecked across the plains of Celadmore; the people of Celadmore have been forced to retreat to the fallen city of Grashindorph. Revolution stirs amongst the poorest of the people; Venetia seeks to restore Gruagadon to his rightful place on the throne of Nesca and will sacrifice anything to get him there. In this final bastion, they must find victory.

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Fri, 09 Dec 2016 23:48:50 +0000Troy Campbellhttps://acts228.wordpress.com/2016/12/09/celebration/Last night the KC Chiefs beat the Oakland Raiders 21-13. This is a rivalry that has been going on longer than I’ve been alive and certainly longer than the 17 years I’ve been living in Kansas City.

Due to the New Life women’s Christmas party at our house, the boys and I were assigned to the basement….to watch the game. I love it when that happens :).

With the recent demise of my Minnesota Vikings, I have been paying closer attention to our beloved KC Chiefs. That big win in Denver was pretty incredible and now with a win over the conference leading Raiders…the Chiefs are on pace for a first round bye and possible home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

There was one point in the game where I think I got goosebumps. The Chiefs were winning 14-3 and the Raiders had to punt. After a fourth down penalty they were forced to punt again…

Tyreek Hill fielded the punt and it didn’t take long to realize he.could.go.all.the.way. He ran 78 yards for a touchdown.

Alex Smith had this to say, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen what happened tonight, I’ve never seen a stadium chanting a guy’s name like that and then he houses it (touchdown return). It gave me chills on the sideline. The whole stadium is chanting his name and then he answers. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen, for sure.”

Whether you are the starting quarterback or a dad “stuck” with his kids in the basement, that run-back was a reason for CELEBRATION!

The boys and I exchanged high fives along with the players and probably anyone near KC that had some red on last night.

As awesome as that moment was for the KC Chiefs and fans, this time of year, there is more than football to give us a reason to celebrate. Perhaps the greatest reason for celebration in the history of the world is the Baby that was born in a manger.

This Sunday, James Cottier a Teaching Elder here at New Life will bring a sermon from Luke 2:8-20 about the Shepherds and the Angels and their celebration at the birth of the Messiah. This is our third week in our Advent Series as we prepare to celebrate the Coming of our Savior.

I hope to see you on Sunday so we can celebrate a Chiefs win and more importantly the birth of Jesus together!

I love Michele Guinness’s books http://www.micheleguinness.co.uk/ and they’ve had a profound effect on my family life. I love her emphasis on the Jewish way of interweaving the spiritual with the ordinary and making the home the base for a faith filled life rather than the church building. Following those principles, I’ve tried to make spiritual family traditions part of our way of life, from doing our own ‘church at home’ when we couldn’t make it to a service to our annual family Passover.

Now, I appreciate that I don’t have any Jewish heritage (although my husband still questions that name Rubins in my family tree!) so it takes a bit of explanation why my family’s main event at Easter is a Passover meal or Haggadah. But for us, it’s a way of celebrating our spiritual ancestry and it really has become as much part of our family tradition as everyone opening presents on our double bed on Christmas morning. In fact, I knew it had become that when my elder son announced that even when he has a home of his own, the two things he will always come back for are Christmas and Passover.

It has become a truly special evening for our family, partly from the length of time we’ve been doing it and the memories attached. I won’t forget the one where we had to ‘recline on cushions’ on the sofas out of necessity when Passover fell two days after our younger son broke his leg. Then there’s the poignancy and depth brought the year our elder son recently returned from a school R.E. trip to Warsaw, so our soundtrack was the band’s CD from the Jewish restaurant he ate in and he told us of his experience of visiting Auschwitz.

The other reason Passover is so special to us is because it’s an evening where the words, the food, and the actions bring the Exodus story alive, gives experiential insight into the Last Supper, and roots both in our own lives. The boys hunt for the hidden yeast to symbolise the need to root out hidden sin. We eat haroseth, bitter herbs and burnt eggs dipped in saltwater to remind us of the tears and bitterness of slavery in the Egyptian brickworks. We eat unleavened bread and drink wine at key moments. At the end of the meal we step outside into our garden and remember Gethsemane, realising anew why the disciples, after a party of a meal and all that wine, found it so hard to stay awake with Jesus.

And perhaps it’s right, in the midst of all the tinsel and baby focus of Christmas, to remember that this is only the beginning of His story and to not lose sight of how it ended – and began again.

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Fri, 09 Dec 2016 23:21:54 +0000Clairehttps://choristerathome.com/2016/12/09/in-a-bath-teashop/Have you ever heard it say that the better the tea-leaf the better the tea? Forever Nuts is a herbal tea that takes this idea to it’s logical conclusion; the constituent parts of it are so big as to actually be awkward to extract from the sample tin onto a teaspoon. That’s its greatest fault though -if you don’t mind drinking tea that is pink.

Lest there was any doubt that it really was pink tea.

It doesn’t taste of pink, you understand, there’s beetroot in it and that dyes it pink. Mind you, it doesn’t taste of beetroot either. In fact it tastes mostly of apple, cinnamon, almonds and what we’re tolerably sure is another nut that the ingredients neglected to specify. It being another of our previous attempts to replace the Crumble Tea, when it cropped up in the calendar today it was a bit like stumbling over an old friend.

It’s especially welcome after a day spent drinking Twinings breakfast tea. (We did warn you we could be snobbish about tea.) It’s not that there’s anything wrong with Twinings; if we have to have a bag tea their our default when we can’t get Red Rose, and we can’t at the moment, because we’re in Scotland. It’s just that if you live on nothing but leaf tea -and good leaf tea at that -for long enough, it’s a wrench going back. Well we think so. The fact that we never learned to take Twinings Breakfast Tea without milk probably doesn’t help either.

If at this point you’re wondering how teabags ever came to feature today, given that we’re clearly fussy on the point of tea, we spent a large portion of today from sunset onwards in tearooms visiting with people. If that sounds like on of those quirks of time worthy of Austen -when a morning lasted until you sat down to your afternoon meal -it’s only because this is Scotland and twilight falls at 3. If anything we were observing tea precipitately. Tea of course, was most quotidian, but as proof it needn’t be that way, here is a poem by John Benjamin. We preface this by saying that whenever we read ‘In a Bath Teashop’ we think of Bath wet-cobbled and rainy. It’s not that it rained the whole time we visited -it didn’t – it’s that nothing elevates a bath tearoom so much as ducking into one to escape a sudden gout of rain when without an umbrella.

In a Bath Teashop

John Betjeman

Let us not speak, for the love we bear one another—
Let us hold hands and look.”
She such a very ordinary little woman;
He such a thumping crook;
But both, for a moment, little lower than the angels
In the teashop’s ingle-nook.

I couldn’t have cared less if Eccles was waking the neighbourhood or snoozing on my feet this morning, I had an awful migraine and my eyes and ears were not winning my attention. Nige took his Temozolomide and then got up to sort out the (apparently) noisy Eccles and find me something for my head – yep, he was popping me with pills for a change! Within half an hour I was up and downing a strong cup of coffee.

Due to the hideous traffic yesterday, I decided to go Widcombe way to the RUH. At least the traffic is controlled by lights and so it does move easily. Yesterday I felt I was taking our lives in my hands, nosing into queues a kazillion miles long… So time-wise; not much in it but stress-wise; much better. Nige looked better going in today and coming out. Not nearly as red or as spotty. I think the swelling has reduced so the mask isn’t quite so tight. We had bloods to do, which opened at 9am – perfect. Whilst he was doing that, I went for a natter with the pharmacist. Nige was concerned about when, exactly, he needed to take the Dexamethasone (steroids) and I wanted to ask about bringing in unused medication. So, we’re all good with what we’re doing with the Dex and yes, they’d be happy to take any unused meds. That’s a job for the weekend then!

Home, breakfast, bed (for Nige), crappy TV for me… I only lasted ten minutes before I impulsively pulled on my coat, grabbed my car-keys and headed out again. Mum rang yesterday and spoke to Nige. In order to swap Christmas presents, a plan has been devised. A plan that means everyone is coming here next Saturday. Initially I had a real wobble. I’m not ready; practically or emotionally actually, and the realisation that Christmas is so close is a little overwhelming. But the alternative is much more hard work… So with that in mind, I decided to visit Debenhams to sort out Anoushka, Seb, Jack, Cam and Ben. BOOM, done! *Sigh* I was back home just after 11am. Man, I’m like a Christmas Ninja! Oh, and to top that, Grace’s present was delivered today too.

Gabe started work at 5pm today. As I type, he is still there, pulling pints and collecting empties. I’m watching whatever’s on TV until 1am, when hopefully he’ll ring and I can pick my tired little man up from the fountain. Nige has just gone to bed, with his beautiful tired eyes virtually closed! I think I can hear Ali and Harry nattering upstairs… Aha, family, treasure them, people, they’re truly the best gift you’ll get this Christmas.

What better way to bring in the Christmas spirit than a lovely Christmas movie?

There’s a swarm to choose from, so get set with popcorn and chips and wine and hot chocolate.

My all time cheesy favorite is Love Actually. It doesn’t matter how many times I watch it, the tears never fail to flow, and my heart overflows with Yuletide cheer. Sounds dramatic? Watch the movie and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Almost Christmas is another fantastic, funny-bone tickling movie I highly recommend. Here’s a little taste of it.

In case you are looking for a bigger selection, look no further. Here are18 of the top films to choose from.

‘On my journey of faith, Mary has become a kind of friend, and our shared experience of Jesus has become a sacred communion. He invites me into her presence with contagious joy. She points me to him with fresh insight and renewed simplicity’.

Supermaster and his Superfriends at St. John’s University Student Fellowship Christmas Outreach on Thursday night!

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Fri, 09 Dec 2016 22:38:49 +0000jamesdholthttps://sisterholtonamission.wordpress.com/2016/12/09/crazy-bonkers-week/I have to admit that after a couple of weeks of writing a blog about Eleanor’s life in the MTC I was beginning to wonder if things would get a bit samey- as she spends a lot of her time in the classroom and doing very similar activities each week. But just as I was thinking this we get her email entitled ‘Crazy bonkers week!’ Probably the most bonkers thing is that she got a new companion and is in companionship of three:

So now we need to rewind to Tuesday when we were told that we would have a new sister in our zone who was coming in with the new French district and is the only sister with 10 elders! So she is called a solo missionary which means she would be in a trio with me and Sister Redfearn but for class times she is allowed to be away from us but only then.

When new missionaries arrive the missionaries who are already in the MTC serve as hosts and help them get settled and go to the right places.

We then headed to new missionary host orientation and then into hosting the new arrivals. What happened next was truly insane. So a few of us hosts were sent into a room filled with early arrivals and international missionaries, we were told to sit next to anyone and they would be our missionary to help. I sat down next the first sister that I see and guess who it was? My new companion!! Sister Tolman!! What are the chances!!!! She is literally the coolest person ever, she’s from California, she’s older and has already graduated college but also had an internship in New York for 6 months with an international relations forum.

The arrival of new missionaries is always an exciting time, and perhaps more so for Eleanor this time as every other French speaking district left this week for France, Canada and Tahiti so the departing missionaries filled most of the testimonies and we got special permission to speak English!! She was sad to say goodbye to some people she had got to know well.

But her district remains the same- so she didn’t say goodbye to everybody, and now she has the opportunity to make new friends.

Eleanor seems to be doing quite well for post and packages, so thank you to all who remember her. Special mentions and thanks came for a few people: So last week after I had emailed I received my second batch of “the cocoa bean” cupcakes from the Kolsens. Brother Kolsen baptised my Dad and his family into the church, how cool is that!! So that was a very delicious treat and it hurt me to share but I did as Christ would have, ha ha! As an aside Rick and Teresa Kolsen have a son serving a mission in Italy- Anziano (Elder) Kolsen left the MTC the week or so before Eleanor entered.

Monday was the day when I got 5 Christmas cards; thanks to Aunty Becky, Uncle James, Scarlett, Nana and Millie (all of your cards are up in my residence).I got another package that day from Hillary Hansen- some gorgeous cookies shaped like Christmas trees…thank you!!!The other missionaries laugh that even though my parents live the furthest away on a different continent I still get the most mail, which is often true, so keep it up everyone I am definitely feeling the love!! With Eleanor being so far away from us, we are also so grateful that people think of her. Though we are a bit worried about some of the strange habits she is developing: I also got my letter off Grandma and Grandad on Monday I almost cried and I even sniffed the paper (it didn’t smell of anything).

Eleanor’s time continues with learning, worship and teaching. She also had some new experiences and got a new assignment: Tuesday we had our first English fast, where we only spoke French, it was hard but its impressive what you can say when you are forced to. That evening I got some training as I have been assigned as the online coordinator for the zone, pretty cool huh!! It sounds as though she is beginning to get to grips with the language- though we have been warned that learning classical French and then going to the Caribbean is like learning the Queen’s English and going to Liverpool! Eleanor speaks positively about the gift of tongues- a gift we believe is promised to the Saviour’s disciples who need it: We also had a lesson with Frere Vanderholm about the gift of tongues; a great analogy that came out of that lesson was that Jesus Christ came to earth to learn the human experience and part of that is the language and we as missionaries are following in his footsteps as we learn the language (French) which with help us communicate with those who we serve with. I also started some one on one French lessons with Soeur Kitchen she is really lovely and I can definitely see the difference even after a few lessons with her this week.

We asked her what her preparation day was like, and how it was different. This is the day that she does her washing and emails. Apparently it’s too cold to do sports, so we go to the Provo Temple across the road, and nap and email and shower for a long time. Sounds like bliss.

The Sisters continue to learn and to teach; Eleanor reports that she is really enjoying teaching Hospice and Stephanie. Soeurs Redfearn and Holt have had opportunities to share personal experiences in their teaching and lesson preparation. This has drawn them closer together; through these experiences she reports I love her more.

She also tells us about some of the meetings she attends: Sunday was Fast Sunday which was amazing to be totally focused on that fast with so many others [As a Church on the first Sunday of each month we fast (go without food and drink) for 24 hours and pray for others as a way of focussing our attention on our relationship with God].

We had a mission conference which focused on the Saviour as we enter this Christmas period. After dinner on Sunday we watched the First Presidency Christmas devotional live. Tuesday night devotional was with Elder Christensen of the 70 and his wife, they spoke really powerfully about the restoration of the gospel.

We’ll finish this post with her cheerful ending: I have had an amazing and uplifting week full of the spirit and happiness!!

In fact it’s not that traditional, because although the tune is an old French dance tune, Branle de l’Official, the words are from the English composer George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848–1934), and the carol was first published in 1924 in his The Cambridge Carol-Book. It’s a good example of a macaronic carol (and that’s nothing to do with mac’n’cheese).

This version is an arrangement by Mack Wilberg, the current music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Check out the talented organist, Ben-San Lau, organ scholar at King’s back in 2010, particularly when he plays the Gloria on the pedals!

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Fri, 09 Dec 2016 22:12:01 +0000dailyreadingwebhttps://dailyreadingweb.wordpress.com/2016/12/10/december-10/God Has Come to His People

Click on the image to enlarge. Click below to listen to this reading by the writer Aaron Bublitz.

December 9 – King of Kings

“Where is the One who has been born the King of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and hove come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2

The entirety of the universe worshipped Him. Stars in the heavens announced His birth. Old Testament prophets foretold His arrival, His life, His death and His resurrection. The Jewish people waited eagerly for a mighty king, a descendent of David, who with great power would restore Israel’s freedom and former glory.

And many missed Him.

This baby King entered the world so quietly. Humbly, the King slept in a feeding trough tucked away in cave occupied by livestock. His life declared His majesty. His miracles revealed His sovereignty. His great love communicated His purpose. At the time of His crucifixion, this King was mocked and a placard was fastened to His cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

And many missed Him.

Though He came first as a humble baby, meek and mild, make no mistake, He will return as a warrior King to claim what is rightfully His. Revelation 19:16 proclaims His present reality, “On His robe and on His thigh He has the name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” This King of kings is Jesus. He deserves all glory and honor, and as the Eternal King, He continually receives it from the heavens, creation, angels, and His redeemed.

There will be a day when no one will miss Him…no one will be able to deny Him…

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth…” Philippians 2:10

Today, Jesus, we praise you as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. You build the only kind of kingdom that will last- the only kingdom worth living in forever. Amen.

Advent is always a great season. I love the services. I love the lights, cookies, and Jesus. As I embrace Christmas each year, there are many things that I wonder though. Just on a daily, “I’m bored let me think about something way”. Here are just a a few thoughts about them…

Star 1: I wonder if Mary liked all the wondering?

Picture this, you largely just walked/rode a donkey from West Chester to Hershey, found a barn to lay down in (my families isn’t too far from there). Oh, btw you are pregnant and you make it to the stable just in time to have your child. He’s bawling, you stick him in a slop trough while you lay your head down to rest. Then, you roll over and what to your wondering eyes should appear, but a bunch of shepherds…awkwardly standing in the dim light…staring at you. Not to mention, the random wise men who show up there (or at a house roughly two years later, if that’s all your theology will let you believe) saying, “Yo, we were out looking at stars and, well, here we are!” I’m, sure their gifts of embalming liquids and gold were enough to see past the unannounced welcome though. However, I think most parents would want some peace and quiet with their new baby. Let alone new king.

Star 2: I wonder if Jesus would skip out on Starbucks?

With the red cups last year, and the green ones this year, I wonder what Jesus would do? Sure, the conservative response is at worst, “Den Of Thieves!” and at best, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”. Followed by a more liberal rebuttal of, “Blessed are the peacemakers! So stop it.” or at least, “He who is without sin cast the first stone, you glutton”. I really don’t know that any of these work or don’t work best. Jesus will have to answer us. However, he very well might go there one day that Starbucks is hosting an event for the employees and community, throw on an apron, wash our feet, turn water into coffee, and wow us all with his service. Just a thought, or at the least, an interesting picture.

Star 3: I wonder if we’ve killed, obliterated, buried the idea that we need to slow down this holiday season?

Nah, I’m not convinced. However, I have thought about it differently this year. What if hurry isn’t the issue? I think more than that, we strive for this season to be perfect. We cut people off in traffic because we’re trying to get home before dark because tonight’s the night everyone is home to get a Christmas tree. We can’t sit down and watch a Christmas movie with you, because tomorrow everyone is coming over and we want to make sure everyone has the best possible time! We over-expend our budgets for spending, not because we want to, but because we care about people and want to give them the best (within reason of course). I can’t think of better reasons to rush around and hurry, but I can think of one reason to slow down (see star one).

A continental divide is a geological boundary which, simply put, separates rivers and streams draining toward one body of water from those draining into another. For example, the North American Great Continental Divide roughly marks the border between rivers flowing east toward the Atlantic Ocean and rivers flowing west toward the Pacific Ocean. “Going with the flow” has a different meaning on each side of the divide. If you want to navigate waterways successfully, you need to know where the divide lies.

To successfully navigate a spiritual life it might help to think of it as having a similar divide, but instead of East versus West, it’s more internal versus external. When facing the internal – that is, ourselves and the things we can control – we try to be objective critics of our own attitudes and behaviors. We progress by identifying where and how we can change, and accepting God’s grace and mercy to help us do so. When we are facing the external – that is, other people and the world beyond our control – we instead need to reflect God’s grace and mercy, and withhold judgment.

Even at the first communion table that was the Last Supper, Christ’s followers tended to get this backward.

After Jesus revealed the one who would betray him was at the table, but didn’t name a name, did any of them focus inward and ask “Could it be me? Why or why not?” No, they started trying to figure out who it was. This curiosity is natural, but if Jesus didn’t identify Judas, why did the disciples seek the right to condemn him?

After only a short time, the conversation devolved into an argument over who among them was the greatest. We don’t get details, but judging from Jesus’s reaction, nobody was arguing “No, I’m nothing; you’re the greatest.” The external focus was on dominating others rather than elevating them.

Jesus offers us rivers of living water (John 7:38). The world teaches us to climb over others to head upstream, but if we surrender to them, they will carry our faith where it needs to be.

Comfort: You are both the recipient of grace, and its reflection in the world.

Challenge: Though it’s almost cliched, be the change you want to see in the world.

Prayer: God of grace and mercy, I rely on you for all things in my life, and will share all things from you in the lives of others. Amen.

Discussion: Do you have any tendency to impose your faith on others when you should be asking questions of yourself?

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